Meet the Team - Daphne, Energy Services Manager

Who are you and what is your role at Citizens Advice Manchester?

“My name is Daphne and I am the Energy Services Manager! I started in November 2022 so I’m still quite new to CAM. Before working here I worked at The Growth Company, and before then I was at Booking.com. I’m originally from Italy and have been in the UK for 11 years now. I’ve always been passionate about languages, especially English, and that’s one of the reasons I moved here.

My role essentially involves ensuring the smooth running of the energy services here at CAM, so this can include: making sure the contact centre performance is on track; that advisers are delivering accurate and good quality advice; working with our Energy Champions to run session and ensure we’re reaching as many clients as possible; liaising with partners and making sure the referral pathways are in place; and making sure that I’m constantly in contact with the partners who provide funding for our projects so we can continue to deliver what we need.”

What does a typical day look like in your role?

“My days are always very varied. At the minute I work full time from the office, so in the morning I may meet with my team’s supervisor and discuss the focus for the day or week, or address any concerns or trends that have risen. I always need to make time for admin work, like running performance reports, and I often have meetings with members of the leadership team on various topics, including  how we can support research and campaigns.

I try to be present on the floor a lot, and run an open-door policy so the team is always able to come in and ask me questions if they need to.”

What are some of the projects you’re currently working on?

“We have various ongoing projects at the minute and some upcoming ones, but the main focus for me at the moment is our work with Cadent. Energy is obviously a very hot topic right now and isn’t going away anytime soon, so we’ll continue to be very busy with our energy work. We’re talking to people everyday who are having to make difficult decisions, like choosing between heating and eating, and are dealing with health issues and increasing debt as they struggle to pay for their energy. Our ultimate aim with all our projects is to support vulnerable clients and people, make sure they have access to advice.

The Cadent project aims to talk to as many people as possible through the contact centre and in the community through our Energy Champions. The conversations we have focus on behavioural changes that can be made to help save money on energy bills. For example, having a 4 minute shower rather than a 10 minute one. It’s changes that can be made in the home quickly. We also talk to clients about what support they are entitled to receive, and we help them make sure they’re receiving it all and not missing out. For example, do they know about the Priority Services Register? Are they entitled to be on the register? We support clients to go and sign up for this support themselves, or we can sign them up if they prefer that. We can keep clients informed about energy prices and what is going on with them. Our advice delivered through the Cadent project can really be effective, we can offer 10 pieces of energy-saving advice and if the client follows even just 7 of them, that could save them £257 a year. We can also offer support for other financial aspects, like benefits and debt, through in-house referrals.

Clients can contact us Monday to Friday via phone, by calling 0808 164 4406, or they can now WhatsApp us on 07360 546 111, and the service is free, and covers the whole North West area.”

What do you enjoy the most about your role?

“We really make a difference for a lot of families and residents around the North West. Being able to help people and give advice to really make a difference is a really rewarding aspect of my role. I’m always learning something new everyday as I’m still new, it is really interesting. The energy crisis is still unfolding and we need to be as reactive as possible to deal with things that come up. Another aspect of my role I enjoy is working around reaching people from all backgrounds, which gives me a chance to have a wider view of the community and reflect on how to support people and improve how to do it inclusively.”

What would you say to someone who is thinking about working or volunteering for Citizens Advice Manchester?

“Even though I only started my role a few months ago, I’ve found CAM an absolutely fantastic organisation, and I’ve had so many opportunities to learn. I feel really valued, and that my skills, experience and opinion count. CAM culture is amazing, inclusive, supportive, and I’ve never felt bad asking questions. It’s hard to start a new job and travel to the office every day after working from home for so long, but CAM has made it really easy.”